|
Greetings, SBT Readers:
The interviewer was youthful and joyous, a young father who was strikingly handsome and trendily dressed; his subject was an elderly clergyman wearing a clerical collar and a dour expression. As I watched their interaction on YouTube, I was struck by the contrast between the younger man's welcoming smile, and the priest's severe demeanor. The topic was sin, so perhaps solemnity was called for, but I found the conversation cold, dry and unappealing. "Is this the way to be the light of the world?" I found myself asking. "What kind of a church is being represented here?" Happily, there were two faces in the dialogue, and the positivity of the younger man served as a foil to the seeming rigidity of his subject.
How we "show up" in life does. indeed, affect those around us, whether they be family, friends, colleagues, parishioners, students, patients, clients, customers, spiritual seekers, or YouTube viewers. Are we a joyful, life-giving presence or do we communicate doom and gloom, the hell-fire to come? Personally, I would take the brightness of a smile any time!
Many Blessings!
Elizabeth
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
Link to the Sunday Readings
"You are the light of the world.
A city built on a mountain cannot be hidden,
nor do people light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; they set it on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your Father in heaven."
Mt. 5:13-16
What comes first -- good deeds or shining light? This "chicken or the egg" approach to Jesus' simile of a lamp illuminating an entire house allows us to look at "light" from several perspectives. In the first place, Jesus' words immediately follow The Beatitudes which bless the poor and powerless of this world. Having reversed his disciples' expectations regarding what constitutes "blessing," Jesus now assures them that they are "the light of the world." These words affirm their status and serve as an invitation -- a mandate -- to let that light shine regardless of what society might think of them. It is as though he is saying, "Don't believe the lies you have been fed about who you are -- YOU are made in the image and likeness of God and bear the Divine breath-- now BE the light you were created to be!" The natural outcome of "being light" is that good deeds such as peace-making, showing mercy, and living a "righteous" life will follow.
Now, if we juxtapose Mt 5:14-16 with Is 58:7-10, our first reading, a different picture emerges. Light "rises in the darkness" when we share our bread with the hungry, offer shelter to the homeless and take care of "our own"; at the same time, this light will only "break forth like the dawn" when we fast from "oppression, false accusation and malicious speech." Our light, it seems, depends upon our "good deeds" -- a concept echoed in today's responsorial psalm (Ps 112).
Taken together, our texts assure us that God's light is within us but that we need to protect that light; in other words, they challenge us to examine both our beliefs and our actions. Sadly, there are many people today who have such low self-esteem that they cannot imagine God's light shining through them, let alone illuminating the world. For some, especially those raised before Vatican II or in a ultra-strict religious environment, "sin" seems stronger than God's grace and the idea of being a light-bearer defies all belief. This is also true for people who have endured abuse of any kind, especially emotional abuse, as this gradually erodes the sense of self, leading to feelings of worthlessness. Conversely, there are those who fail to see the harm they are doing to themselves and others through their uncharitable thoughts, words and deeds; their "spiritual blindness" leads to egotism, lack of personal accountability and a complete inability for self-reflection. Little light shines through them because their lives tend to revolve around their own vested interests. Both self-loathing and self-glorification weave the light-obscuring bushel basket about which Jesus warns us.
We are the light of the world not because we are perfect but because we love God and because God loves us. Despite the mistakes we have made in life, despite the times we have wandered from the path, the Divine Light continues to shine through us when we are willing to surrender to the light of Truth and the light of Love. Then, despite our worst selves, the Light of Christ can set us free from bushel baskets of any dimension so that our light -- his light-- can transform the darkness.
+ + +
QUESTIONS
FOR REFLECTION
* What obscures the Light of Christ within you?
* Are you under a bushel basket or on a lamp stand, and what has brought you to that place?
* What "good deeds" illumine God's light within YOU?
* What false-self narrative (e.g. "I'm not worthy") keeps you in the shadows?
+ + +
PRAY
that sanity will prevail and that all those
suffering on account of the terrible conflict in Ukraine
will find the comfort and resources they need.
+ + +
RESOURCES
Try my Spiritual Self-Assessment Tool! After you take the Quiz, you will automatically receive a computer-generated analysis of your strengths and "growing edges."
https://assess.coach/eastewart/
Please note that I offer: Workshops | Retreats | Life Coaching Coach Mentoring | Spiritual Direction | Writing Coaching
www.elizabeth-annestewart.com; www.ChicagoWritingCoach.com
+ + +
GIFT CERTIFICATES
Thinking ahead to Lent?
Consider a Spiritual Direction or Life Coaching package, or else a customized retreat. Please contact me by email for further details! Thank you!
| 
